"Yes," he then said, after a long pause, "it is true, I have an army
of nearly eighty thousand men; I have to feed and pay them, but, on
the battle-field, I could not count on more than sixty thousand men.
I should win the battle, but lose again twenty thousand men in
killed, wounded, and prisoners. How, then, should I be able to
resist the united Austrian forces, which would hasten to the
assistance of Vienna? It would take the armies on the Rhine more
than a month to come up in supporting distance, and in the course of
two weeks the snow will have blocked up all roads and mountain-
passes. I am determined, therefore, to make peace. Venice must pay
for the war, and the frontier of the Rhine. The Directory and the
learned lawyers may say what they please.[Footnote: Bonaparte's own
words.--"Memoires d'un Homme d'Etat," vol. iv., p. 558.] Write,
Bourrienne, I will now dictate my reply."

Bourrienne took his pen; Bonaparte arose from his seat, and folding
his arms on his breast, he resumed his promenade across the room,
dictating slowly and clearly, so that every word dropped from his
lips like a pearl, until gradually the course of his speech grew
more rapid and rolled along in an unbroken, fiery, and brilliant
torrent.

"We shall sign the treaty of peace to-day," he dictated, in his
imperious tone, "or break off the negotiations altogether. Peace
will be advantageous to us--war with Austria will injure us; but war
with England opens an extensive, highly important and brilliant
field of action to our arms."

And now he explained to the Directory the advantages of a treaty of
peace with Austria, and of a war with England, with logical